Clean Up Australia managing director Terrie-Ann Johnson called on the Australian government to set a similar target.

“What we need is timelines to force innovation, so if we have something to work towards, we can then work towards it. So it’s great to see that leadership,” Ms Johnson said.

From June this year, major supermarket chains will stop handing out single-use plastic bags.

Image: article supplied

Environment groups are now turning their attention to packaging, calling on supermarket brands to set an example by avoiding plastic in their own lines.

“As you’ll see when you walk down the aisles, a lot of the products are their own brands so they can actually influence how those are packaged,” Ms Johnson said.

She cited potato-based wrapping as an alternative.

“There are all sorts of starch-based plastics available so they look like plastic and they feel like plastic, they’ve got a slightly sticky feel at the moment, the film is certainly available at the moment,” Ms Johnson said.

“They can do all the things that plastic has ever done and much, much more – like for example showing if they’ve been tampered with or showing if the temperature has changed in the packaging,” Australian Forest Products Association CEO Ross Hampton said.

Supermarkets silent on plastic-free aisle proposal

Supermarket chains did not comment directly on the idea of plastic-free aisles.